Summer Blues

Welcome Summer!

Time to start a new beach journal....

a sketchbook to record summer days....

and special treasures...

Summer hearts filled with Cape Cod lavender and beach roses!

Beachcombed treasures...

Blue shorebirds!?

Blue ocean, white waves, softest blue sky....

wishing everyone a perfect wave, a perfect summer day---

always...

Endless Summer.

love

          lizzy

gone to the beach.....

Local Farmers Market

Market day
was threatening storms, dark and gloomy ...

but the market itself was bustling and cheerful.

Shoppers were welcomed by beds of pansies ...

and flats of colorful summer perennials.

Marigolds! So sunny and happy!

Armed with plenty of cash and my big LL Bean totes I spent a fun hour exploring.....

                                                                            the pickle guy

Lots of yummies, perfect for leisurely weekend evenings on the deck....

Mill Pond Organic dairy with the cute cow print tent-left/ Cascade Winery right.

  Cascade Winery, Dutchess County NY-wines, dijon mustard (A+++) and artisan olive oil

                                      Mill Pond Dairy-Organic milk, yogurt, fresh butter, cheeses

Papa Pasquale's yummiest treat, mushrooms!

artisan peasant white bread (Bread Alone); Cascade's Dijon Mustard (esp. for vinegrette!), fresh mozzarella & parmesan, Papa Pasquale's

most perfect spring radishes! Look at the color!

and the sweetest baby spring greens, baby lettuce (Madura Farms, PA)

I can't wait to see what turns up today! Enjoy!

Shop local, buy green.....

love

                       lizzy

   

         

              gone to the beach.....

I Can Always Use another Aqua Mason Jar, right?

The Sunday flea market was a bit "eh" this week---

...the vendors sparse and surly, the goods on sale running to socks and cheap new jewelry and stacks of tools. I think the weatherman jinxed us, with his dire [and wrong] predictions of rain and wind. Or all the good vendors went to Brimfield!

I did get this lovely old 1/2 gallon Mason jar, along with extra tops both zinc and glass from a friendly guy and his young daughter.
He had a bunch of these big jars and at a dollar each the price was really right.

Unfortunately his booth was as far from my car as it could be so I only took one jar, the only aqua one.

And a nice woman was selling Mary Emmerling books and a selection of lovely primitives. You all know how I love hearts...

so I finally haggled and begged and bought the set of seven tin cookie cutters or molds.

Wonderfully handmade, each different and showing various levels of skill in their making.

One of my fav blogs, Laura's 52 Flea has had a whole series on her glass jars from Brimfield....
http://52flea.blogspot.com/2010/05/few-favorite-brimfield-finds.html


http://52flea.blogspot.com/2010/05/decidedly-red.html

And what she put in them for display. I loved seeing her ideas! Sadly my hearts didn't fit into my Mason jar, so they are now residing temporarily in my early 1800s Sandwich glass apothecary jar, an inheritance from my parents.

And the Mason jar got green orchids! Later it will no doubt hold shells or sea salts.

A wonderful bead seller, very pleasant and friendly---selling silver and hand-blown glass Pandora beads!

 Wow!

I stocked up on these babies, wish I got more!

What I didn't get---besides the rest of the Mason jars? There was a woman who had really great dolls. I estimated the dolls as repros, probably from the 1970s. Two were large Hitty wooden peg dolls---adorable! Though outsize and one had a broken leg.... And two small china head dolls, classic black painted hair and blue eyes. I seriously wanted to buy them all, but the man who was helping the seller whisked them away into the van before I could inquire! Guess she didn't t really want to sell them......?

No more Sunday markets now til probably October! Because in the summer.....

love
 
    lizzy  
 
                                           gone to the beach......

Yay! Yogurt Heaven!

Hi! Just wanted to report that the homemade yogurt was finally a success.

Took two tries and almost a week but WOW! it is really amazing and delicious.

This is the strained result plus the whey which is supposed to be good used in baking bread. [?]

Not sure if I'd make it again....pretty labor intensive. And takes up a LOT of space in the fridge....

And I have a feeling that the next stop on our culinary journey will be artisan pizza made on the BBQ grill. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/dining/19pizza.html

The arugula-gremolata version looks and sounds delicious.... 

I'm just glad that when I got the inspiration one time to learn to make sushi...my kids very firmly said, No!...and handed me a takeout menu.

have a great weekend!

love

            lizzy

            gone to the beach.................